Welcome to the DAV Website
The DAV is a non-profit association which exists to promote debate. It
is the peak debating body in Victoria and runs large competitions for
adults and for schools across Victoria. It provides training and
resources for debaters, teachers and adjudicators.

A Grade
Note: These are the prepared topics only as three of the five rounds each year are secret topic rounds.

2017

That Australia should end its alliance with the US

That we should abolish the ATAR system of University Entrance

2016

That the media should not be permitted to report on criminal cases until after the trial

That we should open all international borders

2015

That we should permit fracking.

That indigenous communities should be allowed to administer traditional justice.

2014

That the West should lift all sanctions on Iran

That we should give higher order animals (e.g. monkeys and dolphins) limited 'human' rights (e.g. the right to life and freedom from physical harm)

2013

That Greece should leave the Eurozone

That we should allow advertising of prescription medication

2012
That political party leaders should be directly elected by the Australian public

That the government has failed Indigenous Australians

2011
That we should ban Scientology
That we should have a quota for women on corporate boards

2010

That we should set a maximum wage of $1 million for corporate executives

That the West should fear the rise of China

2009

That we should abolish the minimum wage
That Google has gone too far

2008
That the government should pay compensation to the Stolen Generations
The environmental groups should commit violent acts in pursuit of their aims

2007
That we should give parents vouchers to send their children to private schools
That we should replace petrol with biofuels

2006
That the media should not be allowed to publish material that is offensive to religion

That indigenous people should be punished by their own communities

2005
That doctors should be able to override family wishes for patients who are unable to consent.
That torturing terror suspects for information can be justified.

2004
That we have more to fear from George W. Bush than we do from the axis of evil
That we should ban all overt religious symbols from government schools

2003
That Australian parents should be able to choose the gender of their children.
That the Australian Constitution needs a Bill of Rights.

2002
That the media should have unrestricted access to immigration detention centres
That we should protect the Australian economy with tariffs

2001
That we should abolish the forestry industry
That two-party dominance harms democracy

2000
That the Australian Government should permit Genetically Modified Foods.
That the Native Title Act has set back the indigenous movement.

1999
That welfare payments are a privilege not a right.
That the Microsoft Monopoly must be squashed.

1998
That the United Nations should be disbanded.
That we should maintain the war on drugs.

1997
That Pauline Hanson has a right to be heard
That we should link trade to human rights

1996
That Australia should do more for human rights
That democracy should never be compromised for progress

1995
That we must legislate against vilification
That all drugs should be legalised

B Grade
Note: These are the prepared topics only as three of the five rounds each year are secret topic rounds.

2017

That parents should not be allowed to refuse medical treatment for their children.

That we regret the rise of the sharing economy (e.g. Airbnb)

2016

That we should legalise Uber

That Australia should dramatically increase its refugee intak

2015
That women should pay less tax.
That we should abolish welfare quarantining.

2014
That the government should bail out large, failing companies
That we should ban 'volunteer tourism'

2013

That we should abolish special ‘youth’ wages

That feminism is irrelevant to young women today

2012

That Australia is a poor international citizen
That we should require all schools to accept a minimum of 25% of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds

2011
That we should prohibit building homes in areas prone to natural disasters
That we should use prison labour for public works

2010
That the police should not carry guns on the beat
That Melbourne’s growth should be upwards, not outwards

2008
That governments should not fund the arts
That we should end live animal exports

2007
That Australia should aim for zero population growth

That Victoria should create drinking water through desalination

2006
That Victoria should have a Bill of Rights
That universities should have quotas for government school students

2005
That the war against terrorism is unfairly restricting our freedom.

That we should have equal prize money for women in sport.

That government schools should introduce condom vending machines.

2004

That Australians should mourn 26 January as Invasion Day
That Saddam Hussein should be executed
That we should not detain asylum seekers

2003
That we should ban embryonic stem cell research.

That justice is only for the rich and powerful.
That we should have safe zones for street prostitution.

2002
That we should support human reproductive cloning
That all political parties should have gender quotas
That we should lift the ban on commercial whaling

2001
That we should enforce a Ministerial Code of Ethics
That we should get tough on sports hooligans
That we should increase public funding to private schools

2000
That we should support safe injecting houses.
That we should ban Internet gambling.
That politicians' private lives are not the public's business

1999
That exams are better than CATS.
That terrorism can be justified.
That we should support the mining of uranium at Jabiluka

1998
That our Head of State should be directly elected by the people.
That White Australia should not apologise.
That surrogacy should be legalised.

1997
That tertiary education should be free
That we are failing our indigenous people
That the better the car the better the pickup

1996
That voluntary euthanasia should be legalised.
That we have more to hope than fear from the Internet
That we have failed our indigenous people.

1995
That Paul Keating is an Australian hero
That we should put the loggers before the greenies
That power grows from the barrel of a gun

C Grade

2017

That the value of a citizen's vote shuld diminish with age

That we should restrict urban sprawl

Advised topic area: Animals

That we regret the influence of corporate advertising in sport

2016

That professional sports should have a separate league that permits the use of performance enhancing drugs

That we should not permit the sale of alcohol after midnight

Advised topic: Crime & Punishment

That we should allow corporate sponsorship of schools

2015

That we should have compulsory military service.
That all educational institutions should reserve places for indigenous students.
Advised Topic: Children and young people.
That we should abolish trial by jury.

2014

That the national curriculum should seek to promote 'Australian values'

That we should not grant developing countries the right to host major international sporting events
That we should abolish the minimum wage

2013

That the Government should fund controversial art

That we should ban academic streaming in schools

That the Australian Government should protect anti-whaling protesters who forcibly disrupt whaling ships

2012
That we should abolish all domestic content quotas on TV and radio
That police should only break up violent protests
Advised Topic: Parenting and Family
That the Government should publish league tables which rank school performance

2011
That the Government should not fund major sporting events
That schools should be allowed to drug test children
That public transport should be free

2010
That Australia should adopt a national internet filter
That Australia should accept far fewer migrants
Advised Topic: Animals and the Environment
That the police should hold the DNA of all Australians on a national database

2009

That we should legalise music piracy
That fashion does more harm than good

That we should legalise the sale of human organs

2008
That we should lift the international ban on commercial whaling
That we should outlaw alcohol
Advised Topic: Olympics
That social networking sites do more harm than good

2007
That we should have performance pay for teachers

That professional sporting teams should not have cheerleaders
Advised Topic: Health

That we should end all logging in water catchment areas

2006
That we should greatly increase our public transport system instead of building new freeways
That we should have video surveillance in all public places
Advised Topic: Crime and Punishment
That Australian parents should be able to choose the gender of their children

2005
That we should ban hunting for sport.
That we should be able to sell our organs for profit.
Advised Topic: The Royals
That women should fight on the front line in combat.
That welfare payments are a privilege not a right.

2004
That smokers should not have access to Medicare
That we should legalise all drugs
Advised Topic: Tertiary Education
That Australia has become the 51st state of America
That all Australians should be listed on a DNA database

2003
That Victoria should not have privatised its prisons
That we should lift the ban on mining in Antarctica
That the internet enhances democracy
That we should abolish youth wage rates

2002
That welfare agencies should supervise chroming
That we should abolish quotas for Australian content on television
Advised Topic: Aboriginal Reconciliation
That public transport should be operated by the State Government
That all secondary schools should be co-educational

2001
That we should not restrict a smoker's access to organ transplants
That we should all be vegetarian
Advised Topic: Australian Broadcasting Commission
That Australia should greatly increase its military spending
That children who kill should be tried as adults

2000
That we should have compulsory military training.
That Australians are quick to cut down their tall poppies.
Advised Subject: Snowy River
That we should decriminalise marijuana.
That young Australians should form their own political party.

1999
That education about illicit drugs should start in primary schools.
That women's magazines do more harm than good.
Advised Subject: The Olympics.
That HIV testing should be compulsory for all.
That the republicans are ruining the Australian Republic

1998
That the media should pay more attention to women in sport.
That we should introduce a youth curfew.
Advised Subject: The Internet.
That Santa Claus is a justifiable deception.
That all animal testing should be banned.

1997
That money corrupts sport
That there should be a right to bear arms
Advised Topic: Gambling
That women's magazines do more harm than good
That raves should be banned

1996
That we should stop building freeways
That HIV Testing should be compulsory for all.
That we should be thankful for unions
Advised subject: Olympics
That the bride should wear black.

1995
That the Grand Prix will do more harm than good for Victoria
That we should close the zoos
That Australia should accept more refugees
Advised subject: weapon control
That the media should pay more attention to women in sport

D Grade

2017

That Australia shuold adopt a new national flag

That we should ban children from competing in professional sport

That we should allow development in Antartica

That we should fear the development of artificial intelligence

That museums shuold offer to return historical objects to their country of origin

2016

That Australia should become a republic

That schools should provide free meals for their students

That we should use prison labour for public works

That we should ban internet gambling

That the media should give equal coverage to men’s and women’s sport

2015
That magazines should ban photo editing.
That we should stop celebrating Australia Day.
That we should get rid of State governments.

That music is the most important form of art.

That all students should learn about a variety of religions in school.

2014
That we should ban gender-specific advertising of toys
That we should punish sporting teams for their fans' violent behaviour
That we should require all social networks to offer parents full access to their children's accounts

That the media should not be allowed to report on the private lives of politicians

That we should ban examinations in schools

2013

That we should legalise all performance enhancing drugs in sport

That the Government should pay a salary to parents who stay home with their children

That we should abolish all forms of incarceration for people under the age of 18

That we should prohibit public statements that are offensive

That we should reserve seats in Parliament for Indigenous Australians

2012
That we should not celebrate Australia Day
That we should ban all forms of gambling
That we should not allow under 18 year olds to compete in professional sport
That we should prohibit home schooling

That we should tax fatty foods

2011
That we should ban violent video games
That we should not allow animals to be used as objects of sport
That we should ban beauty pageants
That private schools should not receive funding from the government
That space exploration is not worth the cost

2010
That we should ban cosmetic surgery
That modern technology is a plague on human relationships
That Australia should embrace nuclear power
That judges should be elected
That smokers should be denied access to Medicare

2009

That we should value literature more than sciene
That the Victorian government should buy back the public transport network
That parents should be able to design their babies
That we should be proud of Australia's bogan culture
That Australia should allow women to fight in the front line of armed combat

2008
That we should ban solariums
That we should tax video games to fund programs that fight childhood obesity
That celebrities have too much influence over teenagers
That Australia should abolish compulsory voting
That Australia should embrace nuclear energy

2007
That we should greatly increase the price of water
That we should ban all examinations in schools
That the Victorian government should not fund major sporting events
That we should ban the sale of fur
That we should have mandatory imprisonment for people who light bushfires

2006
That burning the Australian flag should be illegal
That we should introduce compulsory military service
That the government should not fund elite sporting organisations
That we should abolish quotas for Australian-made television programs
That we should ban all private cars from the Central Business District of Melbourne

2005
That a mission to Mars would be a waste of money.
That we should selectively stream classes according to ability.
That we should all become vegetarians.
That we should legalise marijuana.

That the government should not fund controversial art.

2004
That we should have compulsory military service
That we should ban live animal exports
That Athens should be the last Olympics
That the internet does more harm than good
That the government should not fund private schools

2003
That year 11 and 12 should be compulsory
That the ANZAC spirit is irrelevant to young people
That we should support nuclear energy production

That we should allow schools to drug test their students

That we should have the death penalty for terrorists

2002
That arsonists should face compulsory imprisonment
That Pat Rafter is a worthy "Australian of the Year"
That parents should have the right to smack their children
That contact sports should be banned at school
That Australia needs a new National Anthem

2001
That we support "at home" detention
That Hollywood movies should be true to history
That we should ban offensive music
That the government is adequately responding to rural youth issues
That graffiti is a legitimate art form

2000
That the Victorian Government should save Waverley Park.
That the Playstation has destroyed the playground.
That we should punish school bullies.
That we should lower the voting age to 16.
That our schools should teach Asian second languages before European second languages.

1999
That school uniforms should be compulsory.
That our sportspersons are not good role models.
That there is too much violence on television..
That space exploration is a waste of money.
That private citizens should not have a right to own guns.

1998
That the death penalty should be reintroduced.
That child immunisation should be compulsory.
That parenting should be by licence only.
That public transport should be free.
That tobacco advertising should be banned

1997
That there is too much violence in entertainment
That we should reintroduce the death penalty
Advised Topic: Co-education
That the voting age should be lowered to 16
That we should ban "Baywatch"

1996
That learning a second language at school should be compulsory.
That TV news is not the news.
That women need men like fish need bicycles.
Advised Topic: Refugees
That the death penalty should be reintroduced

1995
That smoking should be banned
That Melbourne needed to be crowned with a Casino
That Brandon is better than Bart
Advised subject - School sport
That our politicians are failing us